Lalasa's Trial
by X-em-X
Summary: A one-shot on Lalasa's POV of her kidnapping...takes place during "Squire," as they await the trial. My first Tamora Pierce fanfic...reviews are desperately sought after. XP


**Lalasa's Trial**

A short one-shot fic on Lalasa's thoughts as she awaits the trial, reflecting on her former employer's treatment of the quiet, timid maid she once was. Takes place during "Squire." My first Tamora Pierce fic, so don't be too hard on me. XP

**A/N: **Okay, it's been a while since I read Protector of the Small...I scanned over the trial part again, but forgive me if I messed anything up. x.x

-ahem- Day one...I try to upload a story, and find out that new accounts cannot upload for three days...I wait three days, and find out that, on the third day, I won't be able to upload until 10:33 PM...during which time I'll be in bed. So the fourth day, today, I'm very much psyched to FINALLY upload my story...and it is revealed to me that document manager has been taken down for updates. You can imagine how happy I am to find this out. -.- So I wait all day, and finally, here it is! My fanfic!! XP

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the great Tamora Pierce's work...I just hope that I don't butcher her characters too horribly. XP

-x-X-X-x-

Lalasa Isran perched on a bench outside the rooms of Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and his squire, Keladry of Mindelan, Lalasa's former employer. Sitting beside her was Lalasa's friend, Tian. The two young women were silent, too busy thinking to speak.

So...the man behind Lalasa's capture last year had been found. Truthfully, Lalasa had hoped her kidnapping would never again have to be brought up. She had escaped safely, thanks to her mistress, and Lady Keladry would not have to begin her years as a page over again. The attention Lalasa's abduction had brought to the young maid had embarrassed the girl, making her nervous. She had been glad when it finally died down.

But her young mistress wouldn't feel that way. Keladry would be burning to see justice done...she wasn't like other nobles, Lalasa reflected. A normal noble would have ignored their servant's disappearance completely, in order to pass their testing and become a squire. But Kel had come searching, and had faced her greatest fear to save Lalasa. The dress maker smiled slightly.

She owed so much to the quite, stubborn Kel. When her uncle had first brought Lalasa to the young page, she'd been a timid, nervous girl, deathly afraid of anyone of the opposite sex. She'd been abused, and like most maids, her opinion of nobles was low. When Kel had hired her, Lalasa had expected the usual stern, ignorant noblewoman, who'd overwork her and give her nothing in return.

Instead, Lalasa had found calm acceptance. Kel had gently coaxed timid Lalasa from her protective shell, teaching her to defend herself. Through her employer, Lalasa learned to fight back, and no longer was forced to submit to a man's attack on her.

Kel had respected her wishes. When the young girl had found a man trying to beat Lalasa into bending to his will, Keladry had been burning to report the incident to an authority, knowing it was wrong for her maid to be treated so. But when Lalasa had begged her not to, Kel had listened. To the maid's surprise, the incident went unreported. But Kel's efforts to teach Lalasa increased.

Her kindness went beyond that, though. Kel strictly insisted that Lalasa keep her wages, though nobles were entitled to most of the money....and most nobles did keep their servants' wages. But no...Lalasa's money was Lalasa's alone. She tried to make her mistress keep some of the money, but Kel kept it aside to help Lalasa achieve her dream- owning her own dress-making business.

'Lady Keladry's done so much to help me,' Lalasa thought as she waited on her bench. 'Now I make dresses in my own shop, and I even fill orders for the queen. If it weren't for my mistress, I may not even be alive!' a shudder raced involuntarily up the girl's spine. She owed EVERYTHING to Kel...and the quite knight-in-training had asked for not a thing in return.

Lalasa's thoughts turned to the coming trial. Her former mistress would want Lalasa tried like an equal, she knew. But Lalasa was a lowly maid; they didn't receive the same rights as a noble. This news would fall hard on Kel; she'd try to change the outcome. Lalasa shook her head with a quiet sigh. All she wanted was for the trial to be over quickly, so everyone could forget about it. This person had done horrible things to her, yes, but she had managed to live through it. Revenge wasn't something that mattered to her- forgetting the past was.

The dress-maker's thoughts were interrupted, as footsteps reached the two girls' ears. Lalasa glanced upward to see Lady Keladry and her knight-master, both looking tattered and weary. Leaping upward, she greeted them both, and all thoughts were banished from her head as a maid's instinct took over, and she and Tian ushered Raoul and Kel inside to plunge the two into warm baths.

Lalasa smiled down at Kel, the girl to whom she owed everything. Being the servant to the only girl page may have been dangerous, but it occurred to Lalasa that there couldn't possibly be a better employer.

-x-X-X-x-

**A/N: **Alright, there it is. My first Tammy fanfic. It's just a one-shot, and it turned out horribly short...sorry for that. x.x I'll try to make my next story longer- and better. But I'm not sure what to write about... -sigh-

Anyway, can you press that magic little button down there and review? Advice on how to improve my writing would be great. Thanks for reading! You're a hero for making it this far! XP

**-Em**


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